The Early Morning Vanishing

In the pre-dawn hours of October 3, 2019, Carl E. Steffler, a 66-year-old resident of Kaunakakai, Hawaii, was last seen at Kaunakakai Harbor. Surveillance footage captured him walking to the end of the catwalk at approximately 3:30 a.m., where he set down some personal items before entering the water and swimming approximately 750 yards south toward the harbor opening. He was not seen returning, and this was the last confirmed sighting of him.

Discovery of Personal Belongings

At around 6:00 a.m. that same morning, the harbor master found Steffler's belongings at the end of the catwalk and turned them over to the Maui Police Department. Later, Steffler's social worker contacted the police, expressing concern after not seeing him all day. A neighbor reported hearing movement in Steffler's residence around 1:00 a.m., but checks of his home revealed it was intact and unoccupied....Read More